Sliced meat joint such as ham and method of slicing same



June 3, 1952 1 HOENSELAAR 2,599,328

OF SLICING SAME SLICED MEAT JOINT SUCH AS HAM AND METHOD Original Filed Sept. '7, 19214 @fw/ W IN VEN TOR. /S/gf/'y J #neme/aar Patented June 3, 1952 SLICED MEAT JOINT SUCH AS HAM AND METHOD F SLICING SAME Harry J. Hoenselaar, Detroit, Mich.

Original application September 7,1944, Serial No. 552,966. Divided and this application April 9, 1949, Serial No. 86,494

This invention relates to the slicing of meat, to 'apparatus for slicing meat, and to hams and other joints of meat in a new form. The invention will be described with particular relation to the slicing of a ham but it will be understood by butchers that there are many other joints of meat which can be sliced with equal facility by this apparatus.

In the meat industry there is a large market for sliced meats, particularly for ham slices, but the bone construction and the shape of a ham is such that no wholly satisfactory method of slicing it exists. This statement also applies to legs of lamb and other like cuts of meat.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method and a machine for slicing ham and other joints, which are of exceptional efficiency in operation. Another object of the invention is to prepare ham for the market in a new and superior form.

The invention contemplates mounting the ham upon its leg bone, turning the ham about its leg bone as `an axis, and slicing it as it turns. The invention includes the sliced joints which are produced by this process. The invention also includes the apparatus for accomplishing the process and producing the product. p

The objects of the invention vas to apparatus are accomplished generally speaking by a machine which has means to grip the ham for rotation about its axis, means to rotate it, means to slice it as it turns, and means whereby the slicing may be made continuous.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals denote like parts,is diagrammatically shown an apparatus capable of carrying out the process, a ham before slicing, and a ham in the new form. It is to -be understood that this apparatus is illustrative, not a limitation.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view'of a ham showing the leg bone and the aitch bone.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the ham produced by this invention, with the aitch bone removed, and with anarrow showing the axis through the leg bone.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing the ham positioned in the slicing machine.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view partly in section, of the slicing machine in operation.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the blade guides.

In Fig. 1a ham I0 has leg bone ll, joints I3, i4 and aitch bone I2. Before the ham is sliced, the aitch bone is preferably to be removed.V In mounting the ham for rotation about its leg bone as an axis the mounting means are prefer- 8 Claims. (Cl. 99-107) .the `working parts of the apparatus.

ably seated in the Aends ofthe leg bone. The mounting means may be retractable and revoluble shafts provided with prongs of sufficient length to penetrate the meat and enter the joints of the leg bone.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a frame having members 60, 65, 6B and 4l which constitute a firm support for The element 4l of the supporting frame is bowed medially as shown in Fig. fi to provide space for the rotation of the ham I0, is pivotally mounted on support 6D by disk-shaped end 4V; and is extended at 4I to form a handle which rests upon and may be xed to the frame member 66 when the apparatus is in operation. Projecting outwardly from the member B5, as shown in Fig. 4, are two retractable studs 36 upon which the wing nut 33 is removably mounted by means of holes in Wings 34, 34. The shaft or sleeve 32 is mounted in the nut 33 by means of screw threads, and has a sliding fit over the rectangular post 3l which projects from and is -driven lby the gears in the reduction gear box 30. The motor 20 which is mounted upon a standard motor support, not shown, drives the gears in the gear box 30 through shaft 10.

Above the tubular shaft 32 is a shaft 31 which is revolvably and slidably mounted in guide 48, and at its upper end is rotatably mounted in a slot in the end of lever 38. At the lower end of shaft 3l and at the upper end of shaft 32, as shown in Fig. 3, are prongs 36', and 35 respectively which serve to penetrate the ends of the leg bone of the ham.

The tubular shaft 32 and nut 33 can be removed from vthe drive shaft 3| by withdrawing the studs 33 from the wings 34 of the nut 33, and sliding the tubular shaft off the drive shaft. The nut and shaft set 32, 33, once withdrawn, may be replaced fby another nut and shaft set having a different pitch to the screw threads, so that the rate of advance of the tubular shaft through its cooperating nut may be changed to provide meat slices of selected thickness.

In Fig. 3, the variable speed reversing motor 29 is shown to be operably connected through a pinion gear 2l on shaft 'l0 with a driven gear 22 mounted on shaft 23 carried in bearings 1I, 'l2 on supporting member 60. On the upper end of the shaft, as seen in Fig. 3, a disk 24 is connected through a stud 25 near its rim and a driving link 29 to end 28 of knife blade 21. The speed of the motor and the ratio of gear teeth in gears 2l and 22 determine the speed at Which the disk and stud are rotated and the knife blade is reciprocated.

The knife blade 21 is held under tension by a modified bucksaw turnbuckle mounting. Arms 42, 42 are pivoted at their midpoints by a pin and slot connection 50 to the brace 4I which forms part of the support. The arms 42 carry the blade 21 and the turnbuckle 6I at opposite ends. Adjusting the turnbuckle varies the tension on the blade. By means of the springs 45, 45 enough pressure is applied to the blade to hold the blade yieldingly against the -bone during cutting without manual control. The pressure applied to the knife blade can be varied by changing the -tension of the springs, or by changing the springs to others of different strength. Y An operator may control the cutting manually 'through the pivoted brace 4I and its handle 4I. Upper and lower guides 40, 40 which are mounted on the brace 4I serve as bearings for the blade and lend it the support necessary for the cutting of very thin slices.

When cutting single slices the blade 21 Imay be at .rig-ht angles to the axis of revolution yof the ham, but the blade is more advantageously placed at an angleV to the axis of the bone when cutting spiral slices or continuously. This ymay be -accomplished by placing shims of appropriate thickness beneath one pair of the guides 4U, 40',

assho'wn in Fig. 5, or by vmounting the brace 4l ,Y

at the selected angle. In Figure 5, 4I is the sup'- port, 16 is a sleeve carried thereby, 15 are shims, and 11 -is a bolt that hol-ds guides, shims, sleeve, and support in assembled relation.

The ham may be prepared for slicing byfre'- moving the aitch bone I2., and mounting the ham in the apparatus. It is not essential butV it is preferable to remove the aitch bone. The apparatus is prepared toreceive the ham by'swinging the brace 4I and knife 21 out of operating position, retracting the mounting shaft 32- by reversing the motor 2'0, and lifting thejshaft 31 by means'of the lever 38. The endV I3 of the leg bone is seated upon the prongs 35 of thetsh'aft 32, and shaft 31 is lowered until prongs 36' are seated in the upper end I4 of the leg bone. Th'e apparatus is now ready for slicing. The motor is run until the upper end of the leg bone is about even with the knife, and the knife is swung. into operating position. The motor i placerby the blade and at the conclusion of the l ope'rlatio'n, when thev ham has been sliced completely down to the end of the bone I3, the ham still'retains its yexternal form but is in a slice which, if carefully unwound, is' continuous. The thickness of the slice is' determined by the pitchof the threads of ,elements 32, 33. By changing those elements VtoV similar ones having ak different pitch slices of different thickness are: produced.v I`ngeneral, cooked hams can be sliced thinner than uncookedhams.

A- particularly advantageous part of myA i-nvention is in this that acut ham, or other like joint., is produced inits original external form butin-:slicesstillt on'v the bone. After slicing is completed' the leg bone m'ay be removed by the The shaft 31 ropacker without disturbing the shape of the ham. The ham may be supported by a winding of cloth or cellophane during the removal of the bone. With or without its bone, the ham may be packed and shipped to market with its form intact but its meat in slices. This has not only a basis of utility lbuta :very great sales appeal, because meat similarly prepared is unknown to the trade.

The invention has other advantages which will be apparent to butchers and to the packing industry. Y A

As many apparently widely dierent embodiments of-'this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. it 'is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiments thereof except as dened in the appended claims.

This application is a division of application Serial Number 552,966,l filed September 7, 1944, Patent No. 2,470,018 issued May I0, r194:9.-

In theY light of the foregoing description, 'the following 'is claimed:

l. The method of 'slicing a joint of meat having a: bone exten-ding longitudinally therein w ich comprises mounting the joint 'on `both ends of said bone for rotation substantially about the axis of said bone, rotating the joint, slicing the joint spirally as it isv rotating, and advancing the joint axially simultaneously with said rotating and slicing, of the same.

2. The method of slicing a joint of meat hav'- ing a bone' extending longitudinally V'therein which comprises mounting the joint on both ends of said bone for. rotation substantially 'about the axis of said bone, rotating the joint, advanciing the joint axially sinfiultaneouslyA with the rotating ofv the joint, and cutting the rotating, advancing joint so as to slice the joint spirally about said bone but not to cut through thefb'one.

3. 'The method of slicin'g a ham having abone extending axially thereinv whichl comprises mounting the ham on both ends of said bone for rotation substantially about the axis "of said ham, rotating the ham, advancing the Thani' 'ax'- iaily simultaneously with the rotating? of the ham, and continuously cutting the rotating, advancing ham so as to slice the ha'nil spirally about said bone but not to cut throughthe bone.

4. The method of slicing a cookedham" having an axial bone and an aitch bone which comprises first removing the aitch bone, mounting the ham on both ends of the axial bonefor'rota'tion about sai'd bone as an axis,zrotating the ham;- advancing the ham axially while simultaneously. ro; tating the same, slicing the' ham to said'. axial bone continuously during said advancing' and rotating movement tov form a continuous spiral cut, said continuous'spira'l cut-of'h'amremain; ing onl the axial. bone Vin substantially the" original external shape of thehama 5. A ham having its meat arranged upon its axial bone in: the formV of af continuous spiral cut, said axial boneV being: substantlallyintaet and uncut and serving to holdasaidcontiiiuous cut in the original" shape' of the ham;

6. Al joint of meat having anaxial bone exi tendingA longitudinally. therein and having! its meat arranged' upon said bonsV in l the form of a continuous spiral cut, said bonebeing substantiauy intactA and uncut and@ servng'lto yhom said continuous'cut inthe original shape ofthe joint.

7. A.y ham having its meat arrangedffupon its axial bonef inthe forfn'i'of-a-spiral cut-said axial bone being substantially intact and uncut and Y VREFERENCES CITED .serving to hold said cut in the original external The following references are of record in the shape of the ham' le of this patent:

8. A cooked ham havingits meat arranged upon itsaxial bone in the form of a continuous 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS spiral cut, said axial bone being substantially Number Name Date intact and uncut and serving to hold said con- 2,140,162 McKee Dec. 13, 1938 tinuous cut in the original external shape 0f 2,349,465 Rupin May 23, 1944 the ham, said ham having its aitch bone re- FOREIGN PATENTS moved.

10 HARRY J. HOENSELAAR. Number Country Date 500,457 Great Britain V Feb. 9, 1939 

